Gordon's Guide to the Stars & Planet's.

[tachyon]

Presenting: Gordon's Guide to the Stars & Planets, your intergalactic street directory! Post your star systems, planets and other astronomical stuff here. Use this Template to keep things neat:

Name: Pretty self explanatory.
Type: Planet, star, nebula, black hole etc.
Distance from Earth: use light years plz.
If star include;
Size: use metric plz
Type: brown dwarf or blue hypergiant, binary or singular?
Colour: need i say more?
No. of planets: how many planets orbit it?
If planet include;
Size: metric again
Environment: Temperate to tundra, tropical to barren, what's the surface like?
Inhabited: yes/no question, but specify a little ie: single research station, pirate base, mining colony etc
Moons: does it have a moon or two?
All others:
For things like nebula state their colour and how many stars are within (or if its a planetary nebula, how many planets), for clusters state the number of stars, and for general areas (for ie, some sort of Bermuda Triangle-type place) give a good back story ;D.
Also write a little bit afterwards giving more details to your place, let your imaginations flow.

[tachyon]

Name: Khrohal
Type: Planet
Parent Star: Sirius Alpha
Distance from Earth: 8.6 Ly
Size: 36,400km at equator
Environment: Desert
Inhabited: Yes, numerous settlements across surface
Moons: 3

Khrohal is a hot, dry world orbiting the binary stars Sirius Alpha and Beta, an unusually strong magnetic field protecting it's surface from the combined radiation of its two suns. It is the homeworld of the Khrohali, a dog-like sentient species who are technologically on-par with humans. Unlike Earth Khrohal's axial tilt never changes; the north pole always faces the main star while it's south pole is always in darkness. As a result the majority of the population lives south of the equator where the daytime temperatures are marginally cooler, about 46⁰C, thats about 115⁰F. Khrohal's main industries are the mining and refining of metals, manufacturing and pharmaceuticals.
However, the inhabitants have fallen on hard times. After the devastating Khrohaltic Civil War 10 years ago, which killed off over 60% of the planet's population, the economy is in ruins. In addition, many of the survivors have moved off-world to find work. The planet is only kept going by financial assistance from other members of the galaxy. But things are slowly getting better. Land prices are cheap and labour is plentiful, attracting many off-world mining corporations to take over abandoned operations.
Khrohal's 3 moons, Janmed, Yyihal and Orenah, are airless like Earth's moon and have no viable resources. They are pretty but. Once every 50 years Khrohal's second sun, the white dwarf Sirius Beta, passes in front of the larger Sirius Alpha and close to Khrohal. The extra solar wind creates brilliant aurore across the whole of the planet's surface day and night for a month. It's considered one of the most breathtaking spectacles in the Milky Way.

Additional Information:
-Socially, the Khrohali share many similarities with humans but differ majorly in some. For instance Human culture is predominately patriarchal, with males assuming the dominate roles in society. The Khrohali on the other hand are zygarchical; males and females ruling together. This stems from their primitive beginnings as pack animals being led by the breeding pair, the alpha male and alpha female. Thus there are always two leaders, one male (Khrohaltic: Herendas) one female (Khrohaltic:Herenmea), the term used to address these beings in Earth media is Co-Prime Minister, though neither Khrohaltic term has a similar English translation. On first observation this may seem like the Khrohali have enjoyed a greater sense of equality between the sexes, however this is only partially true. Until around 300 years ago Khrohali society was very segmented, male and female roles being seen as two halves of one whole. Traditional male roles included mining, manufacturing, policing, military (infantry-based roles), engineering, construction and -during Khrohal's own industrial revolution- vehicle operation. Female Khrohali were the public servants, teachers, administrators, military commanders, doctors, scientists and judiciary. Shared roles included agricultural duties, merchants, most religious roles, artisans, sporting and, interestingly, waste disposal (which was, for a long time, the only career where a female could operate a non-private vehicle). Much like on Earth, there was a move towards less gender-specific roles 300 years ago, about the same time they entered their 'space age'. The debate came from the fact the the females had designed the first spacecraft, but the males had built them and were to fly them. However, if something went wrong the males lacked the adequate scientific knowledge to correct it. The original solution was to have a two-being crew, but gradually concessions were made for females to learn to construct and fly and for males to study the science behind the rockets. In a short time this spread to other areas of Khrohali culture; in the military males could advance past the non-com ranks and become officers while females could opt to fight on the front lines as infantry, males were allowed to attend universities while females could attend technical colleges. This shift was not without opposition however, many older Khrohali protested these changes and discrimination and abuse was common. Laws were eventually passed to ensure nobody could be prejudiced for pursing a career that was not traditionally associated with their gender.
Now days, as on Earth, any Khrohali boy or girl can grow up to be whatever they wish to be.

Earth and Khrohal are considered sister-worlds, with humans being the first alien race that the Khrohali came into contact with and with the two races being technologically equal. During the Khrohaltic Civil War 10 years ago, in which it is estimated that at least 1/3 of Khrohal's population fled, Earth was the first world to open it's doors to the refugees. 43.57% of the aliens on Earth are Khrohali, making them the largest non-human demographic on the planet. This has brought new light to an interesting social predicament which has been a source of debate ever since First Contact; Human-Khrohali relationships. At one time it was a rare occurrence, but with the several thousand more Khrohali living on Earth (and the several thousand Humans on Khrohal) the number of mixed-species relationships has increased, if only slightly. There is no law on either planet against it, and likely never will be, so opposition is mainly a matter of personal opinion. There have been fewer than one thousand mixed births since First Contact; Humali (or Khromans, depending on the genetic predominance) children are rare.

[tachyon]

Name: Tau Ceti IX
Type: Artificial Planet
Parent Star: Tau Ceti
Distance from Earth: 12 Ly
Size: 41,000km at equator
Environment: Ecumenopolis
Inhabited: Yes, entire surface is one continuous city
Moons: None

Tau Ceti IX (often just called Tau Ceti) was co-created by many different races around 4000 years ago to serve as a hub for the Orion Arm's trade routes. Built from materials gathered from the unusually large asteroid field on the edge of the system Tau Ceti IX was and still is a marvel of engineering, its dimensions being perfect to a millimeter. The planet is a ecumenopolis, a city that covers the entire world, meaning that there are no native species save for the usual pests that accompany civilization. While having no natural resources it is the business capital of the Orion Arm with many corporations having their regional HQs located in the countless office towers of the planets surface.
Tau Ceti IX is the outermost planet in the system and shares it's star with 2 gas giants, Tau Ceti III and the ringed Tau Ceti VI, neither of which have any moons.
Because of the large asteroid belt on the outer edges of the system Tau Ceti IX is ringed by orbital defence satellites poised to destroy anything that wanders to close to the planet. This is also the reason why it has remained mostly unaffected by the many wars that have raged over the centuries.

[tachyon]

Name: Acheron
Type: Planetoid
Parent Star: PSR J0537-6910 (Hades)
Star Type: Neutron Star
Distance from Earth: 170,000 Ly
Size: 10,567km
Environment: Irradiated Wasteland
Inhabited: Yes, Subterranean Prison
Moons: None

If there is a dark centre to the Galaxy, this is it. The prison planet Acheron is truly a place for the d**ned. For those planets who do not support capital punishment this is the dumping ground for their most vile criminals. The lone planet orbits a neutron star in one of the most distant and empty corners of the Milky Way, and although it possess a breathable atmosphere it's surface is constantly bathed in deadly radiation from its dead sun. The star itself cannot generate enough visible light to create anything but an eternal twilight either, not that the population would notice; the prison itself is 5 miles beneath the surface. There are no guards, no security systems, no walls, nothing to stop the prisoners from going anywhere they choose. Not much is know of what condition the prison or it's population are in, best guesses point to some sort of gang-based society developed over the century it has been in operation.
The only way onto Acheron is aboard the prison ship Phlegyas, a heavily converted, heavily shielded Nergal ND-002 battleship. Over 65% of its mass is in its 5m thick hull, designed to protect it's passengers from the deadly radiation of what is know as the 'Styx Run'. Operated by droids, it has no living crew. Phlegyas also supplys Acheron with food and water every 3 months.

upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/Ssc2006-10c.jpg

[tachyon]

Name: The Dominion of Zeta Reticuli (DZR in astro-nav catalogs)
Type: Geo-Political region of space
Star Systems: 16
Capital System: Zeta Reticuli
Distance from Earth: Closest system (Alpha Mensae) 33 Ly; Zeta Reticuli itself is 39 Ly distant.

Just over 30 light years from Earth is the border of one of the most mysterious regions in all of known space; the 16 star systems of the Dominion of Zeta Reticuli. Encompassing an area of around 450 light years, nothing is known of the enigmatic Zeta Reticulan species. All transmissions have been ignored, all probes have returned wiped clean of data, and no ship to have entered the Dominion has ever returned. The Zeta Reticulans, however, are known to venture out of their space on occasion. To what ends is officially unknown, but most races have a disturbing feeling of what they might be up to.
Though the histories, cultures, religions and attitudes of the Galaxy's species differ greatly, almost all feel ill at ease at the sight of one of the Reticulans perfectly geometrically shaped ships. It seems as if tales of 'alien abduction' are not limited to Earth, as most races have similar stories. To the Khrohali, they are 'Unthalima', the "Faceless Demons". To the Hyu, they are 'Gan'Tak', the "Takers". To the Humans, they are the "Greys".
And they are more advanced than any other race in the Galaxy, or at least they claim to be.

[tachyon]

Name: Hssketh Consortium
Type: Star System
Parent Star: Omega Serpentis
Star Type: G-Type Yellow Giant
Distance From Earth: 263 Ly
Capital World: Hsskenah
Type: Moon
Parent Planet: Hsskuneh (Gas Giant)
Environment: Planetary jungle with several mountainous regions and inland seas
Size: 33,789km at equator
Inhabited: Yes

The Hssketh Consortium is the term used to refer to the bodies within the star system of Omega Serpentis, inhabited by the Hssketh. The Hssketh (a rough approximation on the pronunciation their name) are a species of reptilian quadrupeds, pacifistic, friendly and extremely intelligent. In fact they are one of the few Type II Civilizations in the galaxy, putting them in the same league as the Zeta Reticulans. However they are the anti-thesis of the Greys, being outgoing and caring to all species they meet. Indeed, thought they are technologically advanced they are not equal to the Reticulans; but culturally, the Hssketh have no equal. Lovers of the arts, Hssketh performers are common sights in galactic operas, orchestras, theater groups and even movies.
Perhaps what the Hssketh are most well known for is the 'Museum of Galactic History', a massive series of complexes that cover an entire continent of one of Hsskenah's sister moons. Historians, archaeologists, academics and tourists flock to the site in their tens of thousands to see artifacts thought to be lost for centuries (unknown to most, the Hssekth often implement time travel to save objects moments before they are 'destroyed', thus preserving them without disrupting the timeline). Due to their unique vocal arrangement, Hssketh can speak any galactic dialect in their correct tones. Their language, however, is extremely complex and though it is possible for a human to speak, it would take a lifetime to learn (not a problem for a Hssketh, who have an average life expectancy of 12,000 years).
Being reptiles, Hssketh prefer warm and humid climates, and this combined with their 6 limbs (four legs, two arms) and tail means they do not often wear clothing. It is a common misconception among many beings that only female Hssketh are allowed to leave their homeworld, or indeed to even be seen. However neither one of these point are true as, technically, there are no male -or for that matter, female- Hssketh. Hssketh are synchronous hermaphrodites, though they are effeminately orientated in both appearance and behavior (a Hssketh will refer to 'herself' and identify another as 'she' or 'her'). They don't often state this fact around other species, and it is considered rude to comment on it. Then again, some Hssketh (mostly young ones, equivalent to 'teenage' humans) deliberately flaunt this aspect of their physiology to embarrass and annoy their non-Hssketh friends.
Despite being both reptilian and quadrupedal, Hssketh are considered by most beings to be extremely beautiful and elegant. Hssketh tend to avoid inter-species relationships due to their long lifespans, but while uncommon it is not unheard of.

[Ash]

I am not good at this... Whatever. Here we go!

Name: Klendathu ( It is obvious were I got the name from, yes? )
Type: Asteroid
Distance from Earth: 3 Ly

The Earth Defense Force first sighted this asteroid a few years ago as they were testing a new propulsion system for some sort of new weapon.
They ignored it at first. After all, it was just another asteroid. There were plenty of them around. However, while there were testing said propulsion system, something went wrong. The system crashed onto the asteroid. As the EDF was about to retrieve the system, they noticed that several parts of the asteroid were cavernous.
That might not have been something special. More interesting were mineral probes the team, which searched the system, took while they were there.

After returning to earth with the propulsion system and the probe, the mineral was tested. Its was extreme resistant against most of the known weapons. Especially against projectiles. It was also able to withstand high temperatures. It even gained more resisting force if it was influenced with energy. The EDF seen this as a sign. Finally they had something which would be able to protect their soldiers properly. However, it was a difficult and time consuming task to shape the mineral. And it did cost a lot of money. Knowing that it would be to expensive to produce a body armor for every soldier, they scrapped the plan. At about that time, the EDF found out about an exoskeleton. The interesting part about this was not that it could enable handicapped people to live a normal life again or the computer inside, which was able to move limbs on its own, if enough data was acquired. It was the fact that, with a little fine tuning, it would be a nice weapon. The mineral took shape as armor plates, which would be later mounted on the exoskeleton.

First field tests were more than impressive. But the EDF needed more of this mineral. So, they returned to the asteroid and built a base on and INSIDE it. Most of the people there were mine-workers, while only few actually were trained soldiers, there to protect the asteroid and the precious mineral inside from threats like pirates or rebels.